Last Updated: April 2, 2024
The Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (law) requires that USDA and all federal agencies comply with WCAG 2.1 Level A and Level AA Success Criteria and Conformance Requirements for accessibility.
Below is a list of resources to assist with accessibility.
Accessibility Standards and Guidelines
- Section 508 Standards external site
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 is a W3C Recommendation external site Added 11/2023
- What's New in WCAG 2.2 external site Added 11/2023
- WCAG 2.1 Standards external site
- How to Meet WCAG (Quick Reference) external site Added 12/2023
USDA
- USDA Section 508 Accessibility & Compliance external site
- USDA OCIO Section 508 Program (DR 4030-001) external site
- USDA Section 508 Checklists (PDF, MS Excel, MS Outlook Email, MS PowerPoint, and MS Word) external site
- USDA Section 508 Coordination Team external site
- USDA Target Center external site
AgLearn FAQs
- What do I need to know about creating a paper-based version of a course? external site
- What is AgLearn's Accessibility Statement? external site
- Does AgLearn offer tools to assist with creating Section 508 accessible content? external site
- CourseAvenue: Create self-paced eLearning via SCORM Learning Activities
- Which Web browsers work with AgLearn? external site
- What are the system requirements to use assistive technology with Skillsoft courses?external site
- I am not able to complete a course using assistive technology. What should I do? external site
Accessibility Testing Tools
- ANDI external site
- Colour Contrast Analyser external site
- WebAIM Contrast Checker external site
- Microsoft's Built-In Accessibility Checkers external site
Video and Audio Multimedia
- Making Audio and Video Media Accessible (W3C) external site
- Create Accessible Synchronized Media Content (Section508.gov) external site
- Create Accessible Video, Audio and Social Media (Section508.gov) external site
- Accessible Video: Caption, Search, and Compliance Strategies (LinkedIn Learning) external site
Section508.gov - Create Accessible Electronic Documents
Watch videos on how to create accessible electronic documents:
- Microsoft Word external site
- Adobe PDF external site
- Microsoft PowerPoint external site
- Microsoft Excel external site
GSA - Accessibility Courses
- Section 508: Documentation Remediation Training (Part 1 & 2, etc.) Added 11/2023
- Section 508: Procurement and Marketing Research Training Added 11/2023
- Accessibility of ICT: An Overview for Government Executives
- Section 508 Awareness
- Section 508: What It Is and Why It's Important?
- Micro-Purchases and Section 508 Requirements
- Technology Accessibility Playbook: How to Build an Effective Section 508 Program
- Procuring Section 508 Conformant ICT Products and Services
- Accessibility Requirements Tool (ART) Webinar
- How to Make an Accessible Document in Microsoft Word
- How to Test and Remediate PDFs for Accessibility Using Adobe Acrobat DC
- How to Author and Test Microsoft PowerPoint Presentations for Accessibility
- How to Make an Accessible Spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel
- Accessible Name & Description Inspector (ANDI) Tool Overview
- How to Test Color Contrast using the Color Contrast Analyser
- An Introduction to Universal Design for Content Creators
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Trusted Tester Training Track
The DHS Trusted Tester Training Track provides a path to earn the Trusted Tester certification for web on the windows platform. Learn about the Section 508 Standards applicable to the web, how to install and use web accessibility test tools, and how to apply the Trusted Tester process for testing web sites and web applications. Trusted Tester v5.13 training was recently released in 2024.
U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Digital Accessibility Video Series
OCR, in partnership with the ADA National Network, released a 20-part video series covering topics such as how people with disabilities use technology, applicable Federal laws, and how to identify and remediate different types of technological barriers that can interfere with the ability of parents and students with disabilities to participate in modern American education. The intent of the series is to provide a basic instruction to many different digital accessibility concepts, such as fundamental manual testing techniques, use of color, logical reading order, meaningful video captions, and others. The videos are designed for a wide range of audience members, including school webmasters, parents and students with disabilities, and educational app developers and other IT vendors.
AgLearn Courses
LinkedIn Learning - Accessibility Courses
(available to all USDA Federal Employees)
- Simplifying Web Development with Accessibility Best Practices external site
- Microsoft Office Accessibility for Beginners external site
- Foundations of Accessible Elearning external site
- Digital Accessibility for the Modern Workplace external site
- Accessibility-First Design external site
- Accessibility for Web Design external site
- UX Foundations: Accessibility external site
- Creating Accessible PDFs external site
- Advanced Accessible PDFs
- Accessibility for Web Design
- UX Foundations: Accessibility
- React: Components, Context, and Accessibility
- Digital Accessibility for the Modern Workplace external site
Percipio - Accessibility Courses
(available to all USDA Federal Employees)
Skillsoft - Accessibility Courses
(available to all USDA Federal Employees)
- Accessibility and WCAG Compliance
- HTML5 and Accessibility
- WCAG 2.0 Accessibility Standards
- Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG)
- Introduction to Web Accessibility
- Windows 10: Ease of Access & Accessibility Tools
Screen Reading Tools
- JAWS (Windows) external site
- NVDA (Windows) external site
- Narrator (Windows) external site
- Apple Accessibility external site
- Android TalkBack (article) external site
- Android TalkBack (overview) external site
** Contact your IT Help Desk prior to installing any programs on your government computer or mobile device.